While Propagandhi was still alive and kicking as of two years ago (and may very will still be around today, although I can’t find out for the life of me), far more people are aware of John K. Samson’s other major project, the Weakerthans. That band became a going concern in 1998, the year Fallow was released on G7 Welcoming Committee. For the most part, the Weakerthans took a more melodic approach to punk than the hard-driving, overtly political Propagandhi; even today Propagandhi’s site displays news not of the band’s latest projects, but of the ongoing occupation of Iraq. The Weakerthans, by contrast, have largely avoided pointed political criticism and sloganeering, content to examine the intricacies of human relationships instead.

But even before Samson left Propagandhi, he’d already started going down a different road. A number of songs that eventually ended up on Fallow started out as Propagandhi songs; “Anchorless” first saw light on 1996’s Less Talk, More Rock, and “Letter Of Resignation” first appeared on a split single with FYP. It’s a stripped-down rendition by both Propagandhi and Weakerthans standards, with Samson singing over a lone electric guitar. Consider it a demo, a blueprint of things to come for Samson and company.